More changes could come to how Mississippi ranks schools

JACKSON — Even before school and district report cards graded A-to-F are rolled out the first time, it’s clear that lawmakers and education officials have a strong appetite for further changes to how schools are graded.

In a Thursday hearing, Mississippi Department of Education officials told lawmakers they expect to examine new ways of grading how much students learn and how high school graduation rates are measured. They also promised that a measure of graduation rates would return, after being omitted from grades to be released next month.

It’s not clear, though, if lawmakers will allow the department to complete changes before they step in next year. A number of lawmakers expressed admiration for Florida’s grading system, discussed by a representative of former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education.